Statement of Work (SOW) Guidance
Welcome to the Nonprofitbuilder platform! We’re glad to have you on board.
Before submitting your Scope of Work (SOW) online, please take a moment to review:
When submitting a SOW, you’ll have to tick the boxes
Decide on Consulting or coaching
Coaching package - coaching services involve personalized guidance from a trained professional to help individuals or teams achieve specific goals and overcome challenges, typically conducted over a series of 5-10 sessions spanning several weeks to months. The coaching process includes structured conversations, goal-setting, and accountability, focusing on personal development and performance enhancement. It is important to note that no sensitive information should be disclosed in the statement of work; only general details relevant to the coaching objectives should be included to maintain confidentiality and create a safe environment for growth.
Consulting project - is a structured engagement where a consultant provides expert advice and solutions to organizations on various topics such as communication, strategy, fundraising, leadership development, and more. These projects typically range from 20 hours to 6-8 days of consulting, allowing for in-depth analysis and tailored recommendations, followed by a few hours of follow-up to ensure proper implementation and address any lingering questions.
The goal is to offer larger and more comprehensive support to help organizations tackle specific challenges, improve performance, and achieve their strategic objectives. By leveraging specialized knowledge and best practices, consultants guide organizations through complex issues and drive meaningful change.
Please ensure that no details that may shed a negative light on the grantee are disclosed here as the text will be reviewed and approved by the funder.
Statement of Work guidance.
This information will also be helpful during your scoping call, so be sure to pay attention to the key questions you’ll need to address in the SOW.
1. Name of consultant and Grantee organization fields will be automatically prefilled
2. Project start date and Project end date - Please be advised that the project start date cannot be the day the proposal is submitted. The NPB team will require a few days to review and approve the proposal, followed by a review period from the Grantee, and then a subsequent approval from the Funder, which may take a few additional days. On average, the start date is expected to be established approximately 1 to 1.5 weeks following the proposal submission. If any edits are necessary, the start date may be adjusted accordingly, as well as the end date in case the project needs to be extended (both should be agreed with the grantee beforehand).
3. Is consulting in hours or days?
Please select from the dropdown menu whether the time allocated for the project will be measured in hours or days.
*IMPORTANT: please make sure to include 1-2 hours to do a follow up call/meeting with the organization after the completion of the project in about 2-3 months to make sure the implementation went smoothly or is going smoothly. In case any additional support or advice is needed, discuss the possibility of initiating a new project.
4. Total consulting fees requested
This will be the final fee charged by the Consultant upon project completion. Do not leave this field empty.
Should you exceed the approved budget without prior agreement, be aware that such expenses may not be reimbursed by the funder, and you do so at your own discretion.
Taxes: VAT/GST should not be applied or included in the project budget unless the Consultant is based in Switzerland. In that case, the total amount should be VAT-inclusive.
Please be advised that Nonprofit Builder operates with the currencies specified by the funder; therefore, proposals should be calculated in either USD or EUR, depending on the foundation supporting the Grantee. This has already been predetermined in the template. Ensure that your bank account can accept the specified currency for the project.
Travel costs: please note that some funders agree to cover travel costs within the project budget but other - prefer the grantee to cover those. Please reach out at support@nonprofitbuilder.org for clarification or inquiry. In case the funder agrees to cover travel costs, make sure all expenses are included and well explained in the section “Explanation of consulting fees”.
If you have doubts or questions, please reach out to us at support@nonprofitbuilder.org.
5. Explanation of consulting fees
Please provide a brief description of how the project cost was calculated. If an exact figure is challenging to estimate, please indicate a reasonable range of hours needed, as both NPB and the funder will review this closely.
Examples:
20 h * 100 USD/h = 2000 USD
Interviews with team members (3-5 people): 3-5 h
5 days * 500 USD/day=2500 USD
workshop 2 h + 2 h preparation * 100 EUR/h=400 EUR
deskwork 10 h * 50 USD/h=500 USD, etc.
*IMPORTANT: Please make sure you included 1-2 hours to do a follow-up call/meeting with the organization after the completion of the project in about 2-3 months to make sure the implementation went smoothly or is going smoothly. In case any additional support or advice is needed, discuss the possibility of initiating a new project.
6. Title - clear and concise statement of the purpose of the proposed intervention. (Maximum 255 characters).
7. Problem analysis and baseline - a detailed description of the problem or challenge that needs to be addressed, including any relevant background information, data, or analysis.
8. Aspirational results - if your intervention is successful, what results do you hope to achieve and by when? Do not hesitate to be ambitious, these results are supposed to be aspirational and self-challenging!
9. Activities, methods and timelines - Provide a concise description/list of the activities and methods that will be implemented during the intervention, along with the expected timelines and hours breakdown for each activity.
Please note that the number of hours/day indicated in this section should match the numbers of days/hours in the section Total consulting fee requested.
It is important to show how this engagement is building the internal capacity of the organization, how the team is involved, and what skills will be developed eventually.
Example structure with types of activities and skills/internal capabilities developed. Please indicate who from the team will be involved in the activity. This is indicative, please apply what is relevant in your engagement:
Project initiation: kick off meeting (defining scope and objectives, assigning contact point in the team, etc) - 3 h
Assessment:
stakeholders interview: 3 people (ED, CFO, Program lead) * 30 min > 1.5 h
Surveys and data analysis: 8 h
etc
Solution development: workshops (e.g. whole team involved/15 staff members to be involved), brainstorming sessions (e.g. management team involved), reports/policies drafting (e.g. project lead involved), etc (with hours per each type of activity) + briefly the outputs.
Implementation: accompaniment, roadmap drafting, monitoring of the progress, adjusting of the process in response to the feedback/progress, team training, etc (with hours per each type of activity).
Post-implementation support and project closure (to make sure implementation went/is going well or if any further support is needed (a new project initiation) - 2 h.
10. Deliverables - List the specific outputs or deliverables that will be provided to the grantee upon completion of the proposed intervention.
Please note that the deliverable(s) is a specific product or output (strategy, analysis, report, plan, recommendations, survey, gained skills, increased awareness, frameworks, tools that streamline the processes, etc).
11. Time commitment - clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the grantee concerning the proposed intervention.
While this information serves as a guideline, it is essential to ensure that the team is sufficiently engaged to support the consultant by providing all necessary information. Team members involved should be mentioned in the section “Activities, Methods, & Timelines”.
IMPORTANT: Additionally, the team must allocate adequate time to develop internal capacity to maximize the value derived from the consultancy engagement. This involvement may be reflected both numerically and/or descriptively.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Approving process.
The project approval process follows this sequence:
Nonprofit Builder team >> Nonprofit organization >> Foundation (final and most important step!)
Please do not start any project activities until formal approval from the Foundation has been received. You will be notified once approval is granted. Until that point, project funding cannot be guaranteed.
2. Project duration.
Coaching engagements typically consist of 8 to 12 sessions delivered over a period of 6 to 8 months.
Consulting projects usually range between 20 hours and 6–8 working days, depending on the scope and requirements.
3. Consultants' rates.
Rates may vary depending on the funder, but generally fall within the following ranges:
Consulting: $80–100 / €80–100 per hour
($640–800 / €640–800 per day)Coaching: $250–350 / €250–350 per session
For specific rate agreements or clarifications, please contact your designated Nonprofit Builder representative or email support@nonprofitbuilder.org.
4. Confidentiality.
Please ensure that no confidential or sensitive information is included in the Statement of Work (SOW). Preserving trust and fostering a collaborative environment is a priority.
5. Reporting.
At the conclusion of the project, you will be asked to complete a brief report summarizing how the project went, whether you achieved the goals set, and what challenges you faced, if any. You may choose to share this report with the nonprofit partner. Reports are visible to the funder and the Nonprofit Builder team by default, and to the nonprofit (grantee) only if you choose to share it.
6. Payment request
Payment requests can be submitted after the final project report has been completed. Please note that advance payments are not provided.
For projects with a budget exceeding $6,000 / €6,000 and/or a duration of more than 6 months, a 50/50 payment model may be considered. Under this arrangement, 50% of the invoice may be paid after 50% of the services have been delivered.
If you believe your project qualifies for this model, please discuss it in advance with your Nonprofit Builder contact.
Please make sure your account accepts the currency of the project (EUR or USD).
7. Communication.
Clear and timely communication with both the nonprofit and the Nonprofit Builder team is essential. Please keep all stakeholders informed of any changes or developments. If the nonprofit becomes unresponsive, notify your Nonprofit Builder contact so that they can assist in re-establishing communication or provide necessary support.